


It Gets So Hard Sometimes, Be Calm

by great_turkey_calamity



Series: ND Henry [2]
Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Alex helps him through his sensory overload, David is a good service dog, Everyone is super understanding about it, Henry has a really hard day, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Neurodivergent Henry, Sensory Overload
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:40:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27649012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/great_turkey_calamity/pseuds/great_turkey_calamity
Summary: Henry has a very, very overstimulating day.Alex helps him process it all and unwind.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Series: ND Henry [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021431
Comments: 14
Kudos: 157





	It Gets So Hard Sometimes, Be Calm

**Author's Note:**

> More ND Henry for public consumption

It’s been a hard day for Henry, and Alex knows that.

It’s been rough from the start. They’d slept through their alarm this morning; Alex had been able to adjust just fine, but it had been very difficult for Henry to rush through his routine. He’s always had it planned out, down to the last minute— they’re missing ten today, and Henry had been left scrambling, trying to figure out what pieces of his morning routine needed to be skipped altogether. He had plenty of time to finish— in fact, they’d still have an hour left before leaving after his completion of the full routine— but he was entirely thrown off his rhythm by waking up a few minutes late.   
  


Breakfast wasn’t any better. Alex had made pancakes, not thinking anything of it. He’d made Henry a cup of tea, and himself a pot of coffee, and sat down with their plates. About halfway through, Alex realizes he’s barely touched his food, and that he’s chewing very slowly. He remembered in that moment that Henry struggles with certain textures, and feels a wave of guilt wash over him. 

“You don’t have to eat that, honey.” Alex tells him. “I can make you something else, if you want.”

Henry shakes his head, swallowing the mouthful of food in his mouth. He looks uncomfortable— looks sick. “I’m fine, love. I’m just tired.” He insists, stabbing at a piece of pancake with his fork, hesitantly placing it in his mouth. More slow chewing. Another painful swallow. A quick sip of tea. “Ready to get the interview over with so we can come back here and relax.”

Watching Henry force himself to eat food that he clearly doesn’t enjoy is uncomfortable to watch, but Alex doesn’t want to make him feel any worse by interfering. “Yeah,” He sighs. “Me, too.”

They’re sitting in hair and makeup at _Glamour_ , and Henry looks like he’s suffering. He’s got a leg bouncing, is pinching the tips of his fingers— hard— and pursing his lips together to keep himself from grimacing at the woman who’s piling translucent powder onto his face, or the man who’s combing through his hair and styling it with pomade. 

The person working on Alex gently grabs him by the chin and guides him back to staring at the mirror; he’s able to brush it off, sure, but he doesn’t want to know how that would make Henry feel. He sticks his hand out for him to take. It takes a few moments, but Henry’s hand is in his own, squeezing it so hard that Alex’s heart pangs in sympathy. He gives a gentle squeeze back, but before Alex is given a chance to check in on him— they’re being steered in the direction of cameras and an interviewer. 

  
Henry looks dreadful by the end of it all. They’re sat in the back of a secret service vehicle, and Henry’s leaning on Alex with his face buried in the crook of his shoulder. He’s clutching at the fabric of Alex’s shirt, and Alex is playing with his hair and rubbing his back, trying to provide some sort of comfort and relief. 

Someone's phone goes off. Once, twice, a third time. 

“You still want everyone to come over for movie night?” Alex asks, checking his notifications.

“Who’s turn is it to pick?” Henry asks, low, muffled by Alex’s neck. 

“June’s, I think.” He replies. June’s always been safe for Henry when he’s overstimulated; she always picks the nice, quiet movies, ones that Henry’s already seen a million times before, ones that he can fall asleep to, wake up, and know exactly where they’re at. He’s not sure how this managed to work out, but he’s thanking God that it did. “We aren’t obligated to host them, you know. We can wait until next week.” He reminds him.

“No, no— it’s fine.” Henry says, though his tone indicates otherwise. “Maybe having them all over will help.”

“You think so?” Alex questions, still playing with his hair. “I don’t want you to over-exert yourself. That’s like when I sit at my desk and work all day without taking any breaks; you’re allowed to take a break, babe.”

“I really do think so— I’ll definitely take a break if I need it.” He promises.   
  


Alex isn’t convinced, but he lets go. “Okay.” He replies, pressing a kiss into his hair. “I’ll let them know that we’re still on, then.”

“Okay,” Henry says, voice tapering off into a whisper. 

He’s going to crash if he doesn’t slow down at some point. Alex is hoping that it will at least be in a controlled environment.   
  


When Henry leaves in the middle of _Pride and Prejudice_ , he immediately takes note of it. Alex knows that he loves this movie— that it’s one of his favorites to watch when he needs to calm down or get lost in something. He sets a five minute timer, and he waits.

When it goes off, Pez is the first to talk.

“Want me to go up there first?” They offer, leaning behind the girls to murmur to Alex. “See if it can be easily solved?”

“What’s going on?” Nora asks. “He okay up there?” She asks, gesturing to the staircase before lobbing a few pieces of popcorn at Donald Sutherland, who has just appeared on the flat screen.   
  


“Today’s been difficult for him,” Alex admits. “I think he’s having a bit of a problem with stimulation.”

June makes a soft noise in the back of her throat. “That _sucks_ ,” She says, and Alex can see the empathy in her eyes, appreciates it immensely. “Text me if we need to see our way out, okay? The last thing we wanna do is contribute to the problem.”

Nora makes a noise of agreement, and Pez echoes it with a soft ‘yeah’. 

“I’ll be sure to do that, if need be.” Alex replies, rising up from his seat. “Thanks y’all; it really does mean a lot.”

They all give a varying degree of ‘you’re welcome’, and Alexander starts up the stairs. He reaches their bedroom door, and listens in at first, trying to detect any sort of sound; humming, the whoosh of the bathroom sink faucet, David’s whining. He doesn’t hear anything, and he gives three tentative knocks. No response. After finding out that the door is unlocked, he lets himself inside.

Henry is staring at the rotating ceiling fan, blinking hard and repetively. He doesn’t stim like this often, not unless he’s very, very tired and having a real rough moment. David’s head-butting Henry’s hands and nudging his sides, trying to get some sort of response out of him; it doesn’t seem to be working very well.

“Hey baby,” Alex whispers from the doorway, and it catches Henry’s attention. He looks so overwhelmed and upset; bless him. Alex immediately gives up on asking in-depth questions. “You’re okay, yes or no.”

“No,” Henry croaks. He’s rubbing at his skin now— it doesn’t take too long at all before it starts going red. Alex needs to find a healthy way to calm him down. 

“Elaborate,” Alex tells him, sitting next to him on the bed. “Tell me what’s wrong, and we’ll work through it together.”

Henry sighs. “It’s dumb.” He tells Alex. “Stupid.”

“No,” Alex tells him. “It’s _not_ dumb, especially if it’s got you this upset.” He continues, petting an unnerved David, who’s still nudging at Henry wherever he can. “I don’t care how silly you think it is— I’m here for you.”  
  


  
Henry’s got tears in his eyes. “I know we’re so far past it, but the fact that I lost those ten minutes earlier in the day really bothers me. I’ve been thinking about it all bloody day.” He admits. “And I’m not trying to be rude, but the pancakes had the absolute worst texture; I had already been a muppet when we woke up, I didn’t want to upset you.” He continues, explaining everything that’s bothered him throughout the day. “The interview was a shitshow, and I really thought that the movie would make me feel better, but the colors were so _bright_ and everything felt so _loud_. I don’t know. I just had to get out of there. I’m sorry.” He apologizes, still rubbing at his skin, and Alex feels his heart shatter. 

He clears his throat. He’s gotta do something. “Can you start by taking some big breaths for me?” He asks. Henry nods, inhaling as deep as his lungs will let him before letting it all out, repeating this action several times. “You’re doing so good, Henry.” He praises. “Try doing some box breathing for me.”

Alex watches as Henry takes in his breath for four counts, holds it for another four, and exhales for another four, repeating it numerous times. Whilst Henry’s focusing on his breathing, he goes around the room, shutting the blinds and curtains and dimming the lights. “What are five things that you can see honey?” He asks, trying a technique he’s learned from Henry’s therapist.

Henry makes a noise in the back of his throat, looking around the room. “Uhm, you.” He starts. He seems to be struggling just a bit with his speech. “David. The window, the nightstand, and the fan.”

Alex hums. “Four things you can touch?”

“My hair, the bed, the pillows, and David.” Henry continues, still struggling, but working through it.

“Three things you can hear?”

“Your voice, my voice, and the fan buzzing.”

Alex texts June, politely asking the trio to head home for the evening. Henry shouldn’t be expected to play host after all this. “Two things you can smell?”

“David's dog shampoo,” He breathes. “That lavender candle we lit this morning.”

“And one thing that you can taste?” Alex asks, rifling through the closet as quietly as he can. 

“I don’t know,” Henry replies. “Uhm, that weird taste you get in your mouth when it’s all dry, I guess?”

“Good job.” Alex coos, letting the closet door shut softly. “Are you okay with pressure?” He asks, making his way over to him. “Touch?”

“Yes,” Henry tells him. He seems to be doing a bit better than before, but he’s obviously still trying to come down from his overwhelmed state.

Alex wraps a weighted blanket around Henry’s shoulders, and helps him get comfortable, laying him on the side after pulling off his shoes and dropping them to the floor. He then makes his way around to the other side of the bed, and crawls in beside him.

“Can I hold you?” Alex mumbles

“Yes, you can.” Henry whispers, burrowing his face into Alexander’s chest. 

One hand slips into Henry’s hair, the other rubbing up and down his back. David slips in between the two of them and gets comfortable, curling towards Henry and settling down. Things go quiet between the two of them, and Henry’s breathing is slow and easy.

“Are you feeling a little bit better?” Alex questions.

“I am,” Henry replies, his warm breath seeping through the cloth of Alex’s shirt. “Thank you— for coming up here and helping me, I mean. You really didn’t have to.” He says.

He wants to say that he most certainly did have to, but he doesn’t. “Well, I wanted to, baby. I really feel like I could’ve done something a lot sooner, if I’m being honest with you here.” He confides, and he means it. He feels like he’s been neglecting Henry all day long by refusing to be assertive and not taking control of the situation before it got so out of hand.

“I was pushing you away,” Henry reminds him. “And you respected my boundaries, like the sweet, respectful man you are. You did everything just right, and I am so—“ Henry pauses, trying to find the right words, still tripping over them on occasion. “I’m so _grateful_ that you take care of me when I’m not doing well.”

“Well,” Alex says, smiling. “I’m assuming that you would do the same for me.”

“I already do,” Henry replies. “Not in the same scale, of course. I just, I don’t know, make sure you don’t get too caught up in your work. Make you get off of Twitter and CNN for a while if Mitch McConnell or Lindsey Graham are doing something stupid. Make you interact with people our age.”

“You’ve got a point,” Alex chuckles. He tilts his head down, looking at Henry. “I really am happy that you’re doing better.” He sighs, echoing his sentiments from earlier in the conversation. “I love you.”

Henry yawns. “I love you, too.”

“You should sleep, sweetheart.”

“But everyone—“

“Already went home.” Alex supplies. “They left earlier at my request. Please, sleep. You deserve it.”

Henry doesn’t argue with him on that, burrowing further into his chest and shutting his eyes. Alex plays with his hair until he hears him snoring, and drifts off himself, satisfied with knowing that his fiancé is getting the rest that he deserves after such a difficult day.

The day after, Henry’s still a bit iffy. He’s stimming a bit more than he usually does, and spending a lot of time doing activities meant to help people unwind. 

He’s on his way to feeling better, though, and to Alexander, that’s all that really matters.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: @bi-disaster-fsotus


End file.
